"She frightened you, didn't she?"

I blinked, my heart pounding against my ribs ten times harder.

She?

Wait a minute,

She?!

"I'm sorry about that," Xavier implored, stepping forward and towering over me with a hissing snake curled around his arm.

Frightened, I shifted away from him quickly, all the hairs on my skin standing with alarm.

He chuckled softly, his eyes trailing over your befuddled face. "This is Ilse, Sienna, my pet python I told you about. She's harmless."

Jesus Christ, he owned a python? I thought he was joking when he said that to me!

"Here, let me help you." He invited, stretching out his python-free hand for me to take. But I was skeptical, I didn't want to touch him knowing-he grabbed my hand softly and lifted me swiftly from my fetal position on the ground.

I swayed. "Are you okay? You look like you saw a ghost."

I opened my mouth to retort but the spotted python hissed at me, making me jerk back instinctively and almost fall to my ass again but his arm went around my waist, holding me firmly.

"I've got you." His voice was soft. He was sweating but smelt earthy. "Give me a moment and I'll put her away."

I nodded, completely disorientated yet somehow aware that his hand was still around my waist and we were chest to chest.

He pulled away slowly and walked towards the court, muttering something incoherent to his Python.

I took the time to access myself. Well, the pie was ruined, and so was my dress. God, could today get any worse?

Xavier returned shortly, snake free and with a cloth. "For your hand." He invited, nodding towards the pie smear.

I gracefully accepted it and wiped my hands clean. "Thank you," I said, a sense of relief washing over me now that the snake was gone. "And I'm sorry for ruining your pie, I was just a little startled."

"It's fine, a lot of people get like that when they see Ilse for the first time, but I assure you, she's harmless."

"Yeah well, I'm not going to take my chances."

He laughed. I chuckled. We stopped and we stared at each other. "You look a lot more stunning in person, Sienna, your pictures don't do justice to your beauty at all."

"Thank you." I smiled, tucking my hair behind my ear. "I didn't know you were back, I thought you were flat out in Germany."

"I was but I finished my surgery on time and flew back early last night. I was going to surprise you with a visit once I was done putting this garden in order but I guess my mother already ruined that part for me." He sighed. "So how about we go in now and have coffee or if you're hungry, I could chuck some snags on the barbie and make us hot dogs, it's frankly the only thing I know how to do."

Alone in the house with a hot snake guy? Yeah, no. "I'm sorry but I can't," I declined. "I need to get back to the house, my mother is waiting for me." Obviously, she wasn't. "We have some errands to run together."

"I see." He nodded in understanding. "How about tea tonight then?"

Oh boy.

My stomach churned. He was asking me out for dinner. The last time I went to dinner with a man that wasn't Tristan, it didn't end well for both of us.

"It will be a great way for you to finally tell me about yourself properly. And I promise if you say yes, I won't bring my python along." He added chuckling softly, his eyes goading me.

I looked to my left and right in contemplation. The words 'no' were on the tip of my tongue but I didn't let them fall because I promised my mother I would try so I had to.

What's the worst thing that could happen?

"Sure." I agreed after a few seconds. "Tea it is."

He smiled, uncovering a row of pearly white teeth. "Great, I'll pick you up by seven if it is convenient for you. Is it?"

I nodded, smiling faintly. "Yes."

"Great."

***

By afternoon, I was manicured and pedicured with two glasses of champagne already bubbling in my stomach and the third one on its way as I listened to my mother give me the John Dory of every woman who passed by the spa glass window.

"You see that one?" She pointed discreetly at the plus-size middle-aged woman sashaying across the sidewalk with a huge square Louis Vuitton handbag swung over her shoulder and a fluffy white scarf wrapped around her neck. "That is Mrs. Monica, she has three children but rumor has it that they all belong to her plumber neighbor next door."

My eyebrows shot up and I turned, bemused. "No way."

She relaxed into her chair and gave a small shrug. "I don't blame her, her husband is an absolute drongo and a real ocker Aussie, I heard he..."

As corny as it seemed listening to cheap gossip, it was pretty entertaining and it was a welcome distraction from the endless what-ifs that looped over and over again in my brain.

After light lunch at a restaurant her friend owned downtown, we went hunting for Thanksgiving supplies in Launceston.

Frankly, I still didn't get why we celebrated Thanksgiving. My American stepfather was gone and I'd thought the tradition would go with him but it didn't because my mother might hate American men but she apparently didn't hate their festivals.

We returned home shortly after that and I'd opted to help her get started with marinating the turkey but she swatted my hand away from the meat.

"Stop trying to pissfart. You have a date to prepare for." She spun me around, placed both hands on my shoulder, and ushered me out of the kitchen. "Go upstairs and get ready."

"It's not a date." I corrected with an eye roll when she finally let me go at the door. "It's just tea."

"Alright, go and get ready for tea, then." With that, she smiled and shut the kitchen door in my face, leaving me no choice but to reluctantly retire to my room.

I treated myself to a long shower to cool my nerves. When I stepped out, I wrapped myself up in a fluffy white robe. In the mirror, I noticed my dark circles were getting worse. I really needed to sleep more.

Towel drying my hair, I stepped out, only to find my phone buzzing on my bedside table with a face time call from Stefan.

My skin prickled and my mind reeled with a million possibilities as to why he would be face-timing me.

Regardless, I bandaged my wet hair up and tapped the screen.

His face popped up; toned, cocoa eyes, sun-baked skin, charcoal dark hair, pink full lips, bristly dark brows. "You look like hell." Stefan quipped, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Thank you, Stefan," I rolled my eyes, refusing to acknowledge how hot he looked sitting on his bed shirtless with a sterling silver cross chain dripping low on his neck. "That is exactly what I wanted to hear."

He chuckled, tone muscles flexing as he relaxed into his headboard with one hand behind his head. "Well, I guess Tristan isn't the only one having it terribly bad."

My heart squeezed tight at the mention of his name. I should have known this was what it was about. If we were going to have this dreaded conversation then I was going to need to busy myself. I walked to my vanity desk and sat, then I set the phone down on my desk before pulling out my full Rare beauty make-up kit from one of the wooden drawers.

"He's been going through a tough withdrawal." Stefan continued, and I tried to look unmoved by his statement as I applied pore-diffusing primer to my face.

"He misses you, Sienna."

I paused, thought, and I snorted. That was impossible. I grabbed my moisturizer and applied it to the center points of my face. "I have a hard time believing that."

"Yeah but It's true, he's devastated and losing it."

My stomach swirled, but I kept going, blending my moisturizer out with my foundation brush.

"He doesn't eat, doesn't sleep, rarely leaves the office. Man's always there typing on his computer like some possessed maniac."

I stopped and inhaled and finally peered at him through my screen. "Why are you telling me this Stefan?" I was trying to move on, I didn't need to hear this. I didn't need to know he was suffering.

Stefan cocked his head to the side. "Isn't that why you call me every day? To hear about him and know if he looks as horrible as you. He does and I think it's high time you both talked."

My chest tightened and the skin at the back of my neck prickled at the idea. Talking to him meant seeing him and seeing him meant reliving every single time he'd hurt me. I didn't want to go through that again. "We have nothing to talk about."

He persisted. "You do."

I pressed my lip together, "We don't, we're done, we broke up."

"And I see that but being apart is clearly not working for either of you."

I rolled my eyes, applying my soft pinch liquid blush. "And you know that how?"

"He told me himself," he retorted. "And he told me a lot of other crazy lovesick shit that I recorded and could send to you if you -"

"Stefan." I cut him, and closed my eyes to breathe through my mouth. If he knew half the things his boss had done to me, he wouldn't be advocating for world peace, he would pick up a pitchfork and chase him down the streets of New York. "Please stop. I don't want to hear anything he said. I don't want him anymore, okay."

His eyebrow edged up. "What if he showed up at your door with flowers and chocolate and apologized? Would you want him then?"

The horrible ache deep inside me intensified at the thought of him flying all the way from New York just to see me. But I knew it was wishful thinking. He would never do that. So I lied. "No, Stefan. I wouldn't forgive him, not even if he showed up on my doorstep with flowers and chocolate and told me he was helplessly in love with me. Not even if he begged me on his knees to come back. I am done. It's over."

There was a bit of silence at his end as he stared at me, and then, after a moment, a smile crossed his lips. "Do you know your eyes twitch slightly at the sides when you tell a lie?"

I blanched. Crap. "I'm not lying!" I sputtered. "I don't want him back and that is final!"

He chuckled. "Alright, won't press, it was nice hearing your voice tho, I've gotta run." The call disconnected before I had a chance to further embarrass myself.

Great.

I breathed in a shaky exhale and leaned forward on my desk.

He missed me.

The realization of Stefan's words brought bitterness to my stomach. Those were lies straight from the pit of hell. It was too good to be true.

I grabbed my light eye brighter, smeared the applicator underneath my eyes, and dabbed it with a foam sponge.

Why would he?

He didn't want me. I was only available for sex and it meant I was disposable because all he had to do was stand outside with his arms crossed and watch women crawl to him. He had the oozing authority of a God and the body of the devil; vivid enough to make any woman surrender at his feet, and I once was part of that category but not anymore.

Something dropped on my dress. A tear. Crap. I hadn't realized I was crying again.

I opened my drawer quickly and fetched for a napkin and I dabbed underneath my eyes, careful not to ruin my makeup. God, I hated my easy tears.

Get a hold of yourself, Sienna.

Being without him, missing him-it was taking a huge toll on me, but it couldn't be helped. I might have left him but he abandoned me first.

I took a deep breath and let it out through my mouth to calm myself.

Enough. Back to work. I grabbed my bronzer stick and continued to make myself feel beautiful.

In the end, after an hour, I stood in front of my mirror and took in my appearance. I'd worn a sleeveless sparkly white midi cowl neck dress that dipped down my chest and clinched to my curves. It looked a little too over the top for tea and I didn't even know where he was taking me yet but it was the only classy item I blindly shoved into my suitcase while running away from the tyranny of my husband so it was going to have to do the job.

As I fixed on my gold earrings and pearl necklace, a sick part of me wondered if Tristan was going to show up again and beat Xavier to a pulp as he did with Reece, but I quickly shook my head to that thought. He was done with me and he probably didn't care who I hung with. He might have even moved on himself.

I turned away from the mirror and fetched my gold pair of Jimmy Choos. I slipped my feet into them and picked up my matching golden purse. After tossing some personal effects into my purse and drenching myself with my signature rose perfume, I walked out of my room, through the hallway, and down the stairs.

"Hooly dooly!" My mother crowed at the sight of me. "You look stunning honey, I love this dress so much."

She had her favorite worn-out kiss the chef apron wrapped around her narrow waist and her dark hair with strings of white was pulled up in a high bun.

I managed a nervous smile. "You do?"

She enthused. "Oh course, yes! It's perfect! What's the word you kids use these days? Ah, yes!" She clapped her mittens together. "You look like fire."

I smiled at her effort to pacify me. "Thanks, mum, but no one really says that."

She sighed. "Aye yai yai, it's so hard trying to keep up with you kids. But oh whatever," she waved her mittens. "Just have fun tonight, okay? But not too much fun, he might be an Aussie but he still has foreign blood running through his veins, the kind that gets you pregnant and fat and runs off into the sunset with a skinny gun moll."

I laughed. "It's just tea, mum, I'll be fine."

She gave me a slight eye roll and sighed dramatically. "I thought so too but nine months later I was pushing you out in a bathtub alone."

Just then, the doorbell rang with a soft ding-dong.

My shoulders stiffened.

"That's your cue!" My mother said with glee. "Seeya later!" She hurried away back into the kitchen, leaving me to my fate.

I stood there for a second, staring at the door. He was here, there was no chickening out now.

Releasing a pent-up breath, I walked to it and opened it without so much as peeping through the see-through, big mistake, because when the door swung open, it wasn't Xavier standing on my porch with a box of chocolate and flowers in his hands, it was-

-a breath left my lungs in a rush.

"T-Tristan..."